editorial
The looming Delta threat
The COVID-19 pandemic is far from
over in New York City, as too many unvaccinated
New Yorkers are fi nding out the
hard way.
The Delta variant — a more contagious
and severe mutation of the virus
that stopped the world in its tracks last
year — is making the rounds in New York
City. More than 40% of new cases reported
in the fi ve boroughs, according to the city
Health Department’s preliminary data,
involve patients who contracted the Delta
variant of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the city keeps on reopening
up after more than a year of shutdowns
and restrictions. Mask mandates
have been lifted in most places. The
spread of the Delta variant threatens to
put a serious dent in the progress made in
recent months, if not upend it.
The good news is that more than half
of all New York City residents are fully
vaccinated against COVID-19. And while
vaccinated New Yorkers can still contract
the virus, the vaccine enables their bodies
to successfully fi ght it off with few to
no symptoms.
But unvaccinated New Yorkers remain
at the same level of risk of serious illness
or death that everyone had before the vaccine
came along. The Delta variant looms
a menacing threat to their well-being.
The numbers do not lie. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention reported
that nationally, 99.2% of all COVID
19 deaths in June were of unvaccinated
Americans. The Delta variant
is spiking COVID-19 cases across areas
of the country where vaccination rates
are low — packing hospital rooms with
sick patients and again putting frontline
health care workers at risk themselves.
In the latest NYC Health Department
data, 24 neighborhoods across the fi ve
boroughs have less than 40% of their residents
fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
These areas are particularly vulnerable
to the Delta variant, and the city and state
must quickly step up all efforts to get the
vaccine in arms there.
The situation is no different than a
menacing storm looming off the shore,
threatening to bring a severe storm surge
that would wipe out homes, businesses
and lives. It’s not too late to save the unvaccinated
— but that requires cooperation
from the unvaccinated.
We beg any New Yorker who hasn’t already
been fully vaccinated against COVID
19 to do so now. Don’t let the anti-vaccine
rhetoric of fear-mongers and political
profi teers scare you to death.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 12 ULY 16-22, 2021 BTR
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